


Waking Up...

by Charlie_Harrison1806



Series: Waking Up From A Coma [1]
Category: Thomas Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 06:03:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11663133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_Harrison1806/pseuds/Charlie_Harrison1806
Summary: English actor Tom Hiddleston goes out for a much needed walk when he bumps into a young girl. The girl falls over but he catches her before she hits the ground.Helping the girl back to her feet, Tom recognises her from a fan convention from just days ago. What happens to Tom when he finds out a dark secret that she knows? One that will turn his life upside down.





	1. Chapter 1

Opening his eyes, he could see the strangled light find its way into his room. Sighing he rolled onto his side before sitting up on the edge of his bed. Stretching out his arms above his head, Tom yawned and stretched out his back.  
The dark room was flooded with light after Tom walked over and opened the cream curtains. The white walls, more homey than the sterile white of hospitals, led down into a carpet of a similar colour to the curtains.  
The large king-sized bed lay central against one wall of the bedroom facing a wall covered in bookshelves that strained against the weight of the books. Going through the chest of drawers for clothes, Tom decided that a relaxing look would be a good choice so grabbed a pale blue shirt and a pair of jeans from the drawers.  
The morning silence of the apartment was sliced into as a long annoying beep persisted itself into Tom's ears. Grasping the side of his head in pain the beep cut off. Shaking his head Tom grabbed the clothes and headed to the bathroom for a much needed shower.  
The soft warm carpet turned into cold hard tiles as the rooms changed. The black tiles contrasted in the pristine bathroom of white. The shower in the corner surrounded by glass seemed to oppose the idly waiting porcelain bath on the other side.  
Laying the clothes on the bench and stripping off Tom turned on the shower releasing the eruptive water out of the pipes and onto his bare skin. The warming water ran down his body caressing the skin and relaxing his tense muscles as it went. Letting out a sigh of content Tom cleaned his body and hair before getting out.  
Grabbing the nearby towel, tom dried off his body and then his hair. Turning to the vanity and mirror Tom ran his fingers through his hair before getting dressed for the day ahead.  
Heading back into his bedroom, Tom made his bed and grabbed his phone sliding it into his back pocket. Heading out of the room for the kitchen, the familiar sound of the Sherlock theme song played out of his phone.  
"Good morning Benedict."  
"Good morning. I'm glad you are up. What are you doing on your day off?"  
"Nothing planned. I have a feeling that you have something for me to do on the improvisation side though." The distorted chuckle was as deep as always.  
"I do. Meet me at Leicester Square at 10 this morning."  
"I will be there...Maybe" After a few minutes of childish behaviour after the semi-formal conversation Tom ended the phone call.  
Grabbing his keys and replacing his phone back into his pocket, Tom grabbed his wallet and headed out onto the streets of London to find breakfast and to meet Benedict for 10.  
Deciding on a small cafe, Tom walked in and ordered an English breakfast and a hot cup of herbal tea.  
His whole breakfast was entertained and recorded by the fans that were sitting nearby in the cafe.  
Once finished he left for Leicester Square knowing he would be there a couple of minutes early. The warm summer sun was starting to warm up the cold streets of London. The air still cold enough to chill you to the bone. After some photos with fans and signing an autograph for a tourist, Tom made it to Leicester Square just as the clock tuned to 10 am.  
"Tom!" turning to the familiar voice with a smile Tom walked over to his friend.  
"Been a while since I last saw you." Tom sarcastically pointed out as he shook Benedict's hand.  
"I think 8 hours might be enough time." Both men chuckled. Walking around until they found a seat, both men were asked for photos and autographs.  
"I still don't get used to the attention."  
"I don't think it's something you get used to. Anyway, you play Loki. Didn't he want to be king?"  
"You play Doctor Strange, so you can't exactly talk. Also, I think Loki still does want to rule."  
Both men spoke for a while still having photos with fans and signing things. At 11:30 Benedict finally brought up the reason for them meeting up.  
"They are doing a Marvel convention in London next month. There is also three in the states before one in Melbourne. Would you be interested in going?"  
"As long as I don't have to dress up as Loki, hair and all."  
"I'm sure they can give you a wig." The men chuckled at the thought.  
"I might as well. There's not much else to do. How's filming going for season 5, Sherlock?"  
"Hahaha. Very funny. We have just finished all of episode 1 and I must say it was certainly interesting."  
"I guess that means no spoilers."  
"Indeed."  
"You looking forward to dressing up as Doctor Strange again for the umpteenth time?"  
"I really like the cape. I can't get over how much I love the cape."  
"No one gets used to the cape."  
The two men got up walking out of the square a similar way to the direction Tom had come just that morning. "So you're definitely doing it?"  
"Yeah. I will."  
"I look forward to it." Shaking hands again both men went their separate ways towards their homes.


	2. Chapter 2

Standing in the convention centre of Perth was daunting. It was small and yet large enough to hold 10, 000 people. "Why did Melbourne get cancelled?" Tom turned to face Benedict who was looking giddy as someone helped him put his cape on. "Something about a band playing. I don't know." Benedict looked to Tom who just laughed. With Benedict finally Strangeifed the two men headed to the group of other actors that were gathering in the centre of the building.  
"Great. Loki." Scarlet did a look of disappointment making everyone laugh. Most of the group was here. Samuel was in America still as he was filming. Otherwise no one was missing. “Everyone remembers where they have to go?” Chris E. was trying to stand proud in his costume but looked more uncomfortable then proud at the moment.  
“Of course you pathetic mortal.” The group laughed nervously. They never got used to lots of fans. But it was part of the job so they acted their way through it.  
"How many girls turn up and pass out?" RDJ was looking smug as always as he wondered aloud breaking the awkwardness that had arisen.  
"Depends. For you, none." Everyone laughed at Jeremy's comment as RDJ looked shocked.  
"Sorry to intrude. The doors will be opening in five minutes." A small woman with red hair stood looking at us all. "Okay. We better get moving." Walking in the same direction as Chris H, Tom stopped where he was told. They were going to act as statues for a few minutes. RDJ's idea.  
The doors opened and a stream of people rushed in looking at everything. Staying as still as possible Tom watched people as they moved around. Tom was positioned in the same way he stood in the Germany scene in The Avengers. "Oh My God. Look. Shayla look." There were people talking everywhere and lots of people swarming around the 'statues'. "Now" Knowing that was the cue Tom was waiting for the perfect opportunity.  
A brunette walked up and put her back against his chest as one of her friends took a photo. Just before the photo was taken, Tom moved and wrapped an arm around the brunette scaring her and a lot of people around her. A chorus of screams from all around the large convention centre made the building seem to shake. "Oh My Loki!" The brunette bent over to let her heart rate slow down.  
Tom laughed slightly before crouching down to her level. "Are you okay?" The girl was bright red and just nodded her head. She kept moving her mouth starting to say a word but unable to. "What did you do to the poor maiden brother?" Chris was walking over a smile on his face.  
"I know not, brother. I merely moved and the mewling quim ended up like this." The group of people around us started to fangirl quite loudly. Standing up, Tom offered his hand to the Australian girl he had scared half to death. She willingly took it as Tom helped her to her feet.  
"What's your name?" Tom asked the girl as she started to calm down a bit but was shaking from the adrenalin in her body. "Winter."  
"Winter. That is beautiful." Tom didn't know why but he reached into one of the pockets in his costume and grabbed out a bit of paper. He quickly wrote down his number and gave it to her. He really had no idea why he did that. He never did anything like that before so why was now so different. "Oh my..." Winter stared at the number in her hand before looking back at Tom.  
"I have to go walk around before doing panels. Send me a message and let me know what you're doing after this." Tom nodded to the girl before he started to walk away smiling. He was signing pictures and taking photos as he went. He felt his pocket vibrate and took out his phone to see a text.  
Thank you so much. - Winter  
Smiling to himself he sent back a text.  
You are more than welcome. – TH  
Continuing with his nomadic hour, he headed to the back room so that he could get a drink before he went to do a panel with Benedict. His phone vibrated again.  
I don’t have anything planned for the afternoon or this evening.- Winter  
Would you like to join me for tea? It would be with the others that have attended the convention. – TH  
I would love to. – Winter  
"I hear you scared a girl to death Tom." The deep baritone voice of Benedict Cumberbatch filled the break room.  
"I didn't scare her to death. Just made her very…okay I scared her half to death. What about you?" Tom turned to see Benedict looking like he was ready to sleep.  
"The usual. Fans, fans and more fans. They are amazing though."  
"Indeed." Something made Tom's mind wander to the girl that he had given his number to.  
"Tom?"  
"Yeah, sorry?"  
"You okay?"  
"Yeah just thinking about something that's all."  
“What?”  
“Something. I’ll tell you later.”  
"All right. We need to get to the panel though." Both men moved to the door and left to the stage.


	3. Chapter 3

The convention went smoothly and unfortunately Winter had to cancel that night due to a family member ending up in hospital. It had been two days since he met her and Tom couldn’t stop thinking about her. “Tom? Are you listening?” Tom shook his head as he snapped out of his thoughts.  
“Sorry Ben. What’s wrong?” Ben smiled as he sighed and playfully rolled his eyes.  
“I asked you what you’re thinking about. You have been thinking a lot more than normal since the convention in Perth.” The two men were sitting next to each other on a plane heading back to London.  
“I was thinking about something that I did. The girl that I scared. She was just like any other fan and yet I gave her my number.” Benedict promptly chocked on the water he was drinking.  
“You did what?” Benedict’s eyes were wide and his mouth slightly agape.  
“You heard me. I still can’t work out why I did though.” Benedict put his bottle back on the tray in front of him. “Maybe you just wanted a change or something?”  
“Maybe but I doubt it. Anyway, how did you enjoy the days of fans screaming?” Benedict chuckled at the wording.  
“Well, I’m glad I don’t need perfect hearing.” The two men laughed and joked for most of the flight before their plane landed at Heathrow airport. The two walked off of the plane with their carry-on being stopped every few metres by fans or press. As they reached baggage claim Benedict dropped his carry-on and picked up his eldest son who had sprinted over to him.  
“DADDY!” Tom tuned out the father and son and heard a slow beeping in his ears. Tom did a quick glance around him but found no obvious cause of the beeping. He turned back to the father and son and tuned back into the conversation in front of him and the beeps faded. “Tom. You okay?” Tom shook his head before replying.  
“Um, yeah. I’m fine just jet lagged.” Tom smiled towards his friend before looking to the little boy resting on Benedict’s hip. Something made Tom think that he was dreaming. He couldn’t place it but passed it off as he grabbed his luggage from the carousel and heading out after Benedict and his family. A tight pain in his chest made Tom realise how much he wanted a family of his own.  
“So Tom, that girl you gave your number to, have you spoke to her?” Tom blushed bashfully as he looked at the floor. “I haven’t yet. When I get back to my apartment I will.” Benedict nudged Tom with his elbow before putting his son down. The two said goodbye and separated. Benedict heading home while Tom decided to go for a much needed walk after he got home.  
The drive was slow and the music from the radio just seemed to create an eerie background for Tom. The slow beeps were in his ears but he couldn’t place what they were or where they were coming from. Tom turned into a parking spot underneath his apartment building and turned off the car leaving him in the painful artificial light above him. Sighing he rubbed his hands along his face before getting out and grabbing his bags.  
When he reached his apartment he placed all his bags in his room and headed to the small kitchen. The apartment was homely and he loved the feeling of privacy that it gave him. He made a cup of earl grey tea and drank it before heading back out to go for a walk before unpacking. Locking his apartment door he walked down the stairs to the street below. As he walked out onto the path he bumped straight into someone. “I am so sorry sir. I was too busy looking at my map sorry.” The girls voice was familiar and had an obvious Australian accent.  
“It’s fine. I wasn’t paying attention. I should be the one apologising.” Tom bent down and picked up the girls phone before handing it back to her.  
“I’m starting to wonder if this is how I’m always going to meet you.” Tom smiled as he recognised Winter. “Perhaps. At least I know I can sweep you off your feet.” Winter laughed at the comment before Tom once again heard the beeping noise. “I’m sorry, this might sound really weird but can you hear that noise?” Tom looked at the girl who was looking at him with her eyebrows furrowed.  
“Are you talking about the beeping sound?”  
“YES! That one. You can hear it?” Tom was overjoyed that someone else could hear it.  
“No. I can’t hear it. It’s…” Tom was incredulous. He was waiting for her to finish but she never did.  
“How did you know what I was talking about if you can’t hear it?” She shook her head before smiling like it never happened.  
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just like that ringing sound when everything’s quite.” Tom knew she was lying but her eyes told him that she didn’t want to talk about it so he didn’t press.  
“Okay then. Would you like to join me for a walk?” Tom offered Winter his hand which she accepted with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Winter and Tom walked the streets of London for longer than either of you had intended. “So why are you in London?” Tom waited patiently for the Winter to answer.  
“I’m moving. The Marvel convention was the last thing I was doing with my friends before I left. They refused to let me leave without going to it.” She smiled in a way that made Tom want to see it all the time. “Do you like Marvel or was it just them being friends?”  
“Both. I love Marvel for Loki and Doctor Strange. I also kind of like Hawkeye but not as much as Loki and Strange. However, my friends think that I should like Captain America and Iron man more than anyone else but I don’t. What about you? Before you played Loki?” Tom went deep into his thoughts.  
“I always read the Marvel comics growing up and Loki was always my favourite followed by Bruce Banner.” Winter laughed. The sound warming up Tom as they walked. They had been out walking for 5 hours now.  
“Why did you want to move to London?”  
“I prefer the cold and Australia is very warm. Even in Winter.”  
“Is that why your parents called you Winter or was it that they thought you would make a great Jotun?” She laughed again and Tom couldn’t help but join her.  
“My parents called me Winter because they thought it was the most appropriate name and in Australia, I was born in the Winter.”  
“That’s a good reason.” The two walked in a peaceful silence before they seemed to be heading back to Tom’s apartment. As they walked up to the front of the building Tom realised that his left hand was warmer than normal and looked down to see his and Winter’s hands intertwined. “Where are you staying?”  
“At a university campus but not until tomorrow night so I was going to hunt down for a hotel that I could stay at for the night before going to the uni tomorrow.”  
“Would you like to spend the night with me instead of wasting money on a hotel room? I have spare beds.” Tom rushed the last part out making Winter blush and smile.  
“I’d love to.” Tom grinned like a kid that just got given chocolate and held out his hand as he walked Winter up the stairs to his apartment. Unlocking the door Tom held the door for her and she walked in as he bowed to her. Her pale cheeks glowing with a pink dusting. AS the two walked in the sound of someone clearing their throat made them turn.  
Winter started to bounce around on the spot as she looked at Benedict who was standing there with a smug look. “I thought you were jet lagged Tom. Benedict Cumberbatch.” Benedict offered his hand to Winter who accepted but got a surprise when he kissed her knuckles. A knot formed in Tom’s stomach at this action and realised he was jealous. “I was and still am but I needed a walk and happened to bump into Winter.”  
“Tom. It’s summer not Winter.”  
“No. My name is Winter.” Benedict had a look of ‘oh’ on his face and then he blushed in embarrassment. “Apologies. It is a beautiful name though and very appropriate.”  
Winter blushed again. “Thanks.”  
“How did you two meet?”  
“Tom scared the Moriarty out of me.” Benedict looked at the woman before looking to Tom.  
“She is the fan I scared at the Perth convention.”  
“That explains a lot. Worth all the extra thinking time Tom. Anyway, I was talking to Mark and Steven and Sherlock season 5 is going ahead but they were looking for a new antagonist and I might have suggested you. If you want to, BBC building tomorrow morning at 10.”  
“Thanks. I will head down. I need something to do.” Ben smiled and nodded to Winter before shaking Tom’s hand and heading out while saying goodbye. Tom and Winter headed to the kitchen where Tom made tea for the two of them. They sat down and spoke while drinking learning little things about each other.  
“So what do you want to study at university and which one?”  
“I got a scholarship to Oxford university for Law. I also got a scholarship to Cambridge for Medicine so I had to choose and decided to do both. I’m staying on campus at Oxford though.” Tom choked on his drink.  
“You got two scholarships at Oxford and Cambridge and you’re doing two degrees at once. Not just any two but Law and Medicine.” Winter smile proudly and nodded.  
“Show off…” Tom smiled to let her know he was joking with her. She feigned pain and looked away pretending to cry before leaning onto Tom’s shoulder smiling. “You’re braver than I would be then. I would never do two degrees at once. Let alone do one at either uni. I’d be too scared.” Both Winter and Tom laughed. Before heading to bed, Tom showed Winter to the bedroom that she could sleep in and said that she was always welcome to visit at any time and stay for as long as she needed.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been 6 years since Winter and Tom met and were enjoying their relationship. They had been together for 5 years and married for 1. “Winter?” Tom heard the footsteps of his wife as she came closer to the living room before she rounded the corner with a big smile on her face. “Yeah?”   
“Have you seen Loki? I can’t find him.” Winter laughed before pointing just behind Tom’s head. Tom turned around to see the black cat climbing up the curtains. “There you are. Come on Loki. Worming time.” The cat climbed the curtain quicker and was just out of Tom’s reach. The cat’s green eyes staring down at Tom. “Honey, something tells me he doesn’t want the tablets.”  
“What gave you that thought?” Tom was smirking as he held up a bit of chicken meat that had the tablet inside and the small cat took it and ate it in one bite. “Show off.”  
“Says the woman who got high distinctions in every unit of Law and medicine while doing both degrees at the same time.”  
“And?” Winter smiled before heading back to the kitchen bench. Tom walked over and saw that she was working on one of her client’s case.  
“Murder? Rape? Petty theft?” Winter laughed before leaning against Tom as he wrapped his arms loosely around her neck and over her shoulders.  
“I wish I could tell you. This is one of the worst ones I’ve had to do. I don’t want to defend a guilty person of their crimes especially this crime.” Winter placed her hand protectively over her lower stomach and Tom spun her chair around and knelt down in front of her. Both his hands on her baby bump.  
“You shouldn’t push yourself too hard Darling. It’s not good for you or Chris.” Tom leant forward and kissed her stomach and then kissed Winter on the lips.  
“I know. Last case and then I have maternity leave.” Winter kissed Tom again before he got up and went into the kitchen. “Sweetie, I love you but what are you doing?” Tom turned around and smirked. He walked forward to the kitchen bench that Winter was once again sitting comfortably at.  
“Nothing of importance darling. Just make sure you eat all of your dinner.” Winter started to blush profusely as she always has when Tom did his Loki voice. Tom turned back to the fridge grabbing out some beef mince for spaghetti bolognaise. He heard the beeping sound again and stopped what he was doing. He felt hands on his back before he looked to see Winter with a mournful expression. The beeping stopped and he turned to her grabbing her hands softly.  
“Love what’s wrong?”  
“That beeping noise. You need to follow it.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“It’s a heart monitor Tom.”  
“Why would I be abl-“  
“You’re in a coma. This is known as a coma illusion. It is where a coma patient feels that they are still living their life and are fine when they are actually in a hospital. Unconscious. You need to wake up Tom.” Tom laughed at Winter’s joke and then saw she was serious.  
“Come on. Winter I love you but that can’t be real.”  
“Here.” Winter grabbed a book off of the bench and handed it to him. “Read the first word on page 36. Then close it before reopening it and rereading the same word.” Tom sighed but did as he was told.  
“Belong.”  
“Again.” Tom closed the book before reopening it. He closed the book with disbelieving eyes and then reopened it. “Why is it changing?”  
“Because it’s not real. None of this is.”  
“I can’t have made you up though. You are real.”  
“Of course I am. I am just not here with you. I have never really met you.”  
“Yeah okay. No. I love you, I really do but no.” The beeping came back but so loud and so fast.  
“Check your pulse Tom. It is the same as the rate of the beeping.” Tom put a hand to the pulse point on his neck.  
“No. This is real.”  
“No it’s not. Tom please wake up.”  
“You can’t wake up from reality.”  
“This isn’t reality. I am speaking as you subconscious. This is the form you gave me. You need to wake up.” Tom walked away shaking his head.  
“No this is real.”  
“You are dying Tom.”  
“Everyone is dying.”  
“If you stay here any longer you will die. Tome wake UP!”  
“I am awake.”  
“Six years ago you met me. As we got to know each other you told me you woke up with no memory of drinking and no memory of how you ended up in your bed in your apartment the day you met Benedict who suggested you go to that convention. There is no such thing as coincidences.”  
“And that is not a coincidence.”  
“Tom. Please wake up.”  
“I AM AWAKE!”


	6. Chapter 6

“You never woke up Tom. You aren’t here. You are in a hospital in ICU in a coma. Tom you need to wake up. PLEASE!” The beeping was so fast now and Tom could feel himself being shaken and a pain in his elbow.  
“They think you are going into cardiac arrest. Tom. WAKE UP!!” With that last comment Tom felt like he was falling but his eyes were opening. He sat stock up right in a small single bed in a white sterile room with sweat forming on his face and people surrounding him. Tom couldn’t make out the conversations around him but could see them all looking really surprised. Tom looked around trying to find Winter  
“Winter?” Tom ripped the cords off of him pulling out numerous tubes and started to try and get up when the people around him started to try and push him back down onto the bed. He pushed their arms away from him and managed to stand up and pushed through the people heading for the door. He got the door open and walked out only to hear yelling behind him but it was still indistinguishable.  
Stumbling down the hall, Tom headed for the exit. As he rounded a corner he was met with the running of two people he recognised. “TOM!” his two friends ran a bit faster to get to him but he kept walking for the door. “Tom you need to go back to bed.”  
“No. I’m fine” Chris and Benedict grabbed Tom’s arms and started to try and pull him back towards his hospital room but he managed to get out of their grips and ran(stumbled) towards the hospital doors away from the two men. He felt arms around his waist and then lift him up. He saw Benedict grab his legs as he struggled to get out of the grip around his waist which he assumed to be Chris.  
“Let go of me!” He saw the doorway of the room he had walked out of and then the uncomfortable bed blow him.  
“No. Tom you need to rest.”  
“I need to find Winter!” Both Chris and Benedict looked at him with unsure looks.  
“You kept saying Winter when you were out. Why?” Tom looked to Benedict with distrust now.  
“This isn’t funny anymore. Where is she?”  
“Tom. We don’t know what you’re talking about you’re delusional. You need rest.”  
“I AM NOT DELUSIONAL!” Benedict and Chris took a step back from their friend who was now able to get back up. “WHERE. IS. SHE?”  
“Tom. We don’t know anyone with that name and I don’t think you do either. Please rest.”  
“Not until you stop lying. This joke isn’t funny. You’re supposed to be my friends.” The look of hurt that washed over Benedict and Chris’ faces made Tom realise this was real. Winter was right. He had been in a coma. But how did that happen? Tom fell back onto the bed and was now crying into his hands.  
“Tom?” Benedict’s voice was soft and unsure. The bed dipped slightly on Tom’s left. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders but he didn’t dare look up.  
“Mr. Hiddleston?” Tom looked up to see a doctor standing in the door way. “I’m Doctor Carmicle.” Tom looked blankly at the elderly man. His white hair seeming to go everywhere giving him more of a mad scientist appearance. “I was informed that you woke up and seemed to be overly agitated and seemed to show signs of aggression. Do you know why?” Tom refused to speak and nodded hesitantly.  
“Did you have a coma illusion?” another nod.  
“Might I inquire as to what caused you to wake up?”  
“You can ask but that doesn’t mean you will receive an answer.” Tom looked to Chris and Benedict who had looks of surprise and shock, respectively.  
“Can you please tell me what woke you up?”  
“There was a woman. In the illusion she had been helping me because I kept hearing the beeping of a heart monitor and to begin with I couldn’t work out what it was or why I could hear it but no one around me could. She then became very mournful and started to tell me I needed to wake up. That everything I was doing and believing was just an illusion. That none of it was real and that if I didn’t wake up, I was going to die.”  
“I have never heard of that happening before. But she was right. We were going to have to pull the plug, tomorrow, on the life support machines. Was there anything else?”  
“She told me that she was real. That I had never actually met her but that she is real and somewhere still in the world.”  
“Winter.” Tom nodded at Benedict’s comment. The doctor ran some tests and then left.


	7. Chapter 7

“She was more than just a helper for you wasn’t she?” Tom nodded to his friends. “Who was she?”  
“It’s going to sound crazy.” Tom looked to Tom and Chris and found they were both waiting patiently for him to continue. “She was my wife.” Benedict and Chris were stunned.  
“Tell.” Tom laughed at Chris. He had done a girly voice making it sound like he was a teenage girl waiting for some gossip.  
“I met her at a convention that I went to. I scared her half to death but it was worth it. She was in Perth with friends because she was moving to London. She had gotten two scholarships. One at Oxford for Law and one at Cambridge for Medicine. She accepted both and got high distinctions for every unit and became a defence attorney.” Benedict was amazed and Chris was just out of it.  
“And?” Both of his friends looked like they were going to fall off the couch if they didn’t sit back.  
“I met her. A year later we started dating. We were together for 4 years before we got engaged and then we got married a year later and were married for a year before I woke up. She was 5 months pregnant with a baby boy.”  
“Tom you were out for 6 months. You went through a whole year every month.” Tom smiled but not because of the comment. He still remembered everything about ‘Winter’. Everything she had ever told him. He could find her. The real her. Tom got up off of his couch. He had been home for three days and had been awake now for three weeks. He went to the kitchen and grabbed some water from the fridge but paused momentarily as he remembered his final moments with ‘Winter’.  
“You’re thinking about something. What are you thinking about?” The baritone voice of Benedict broke his thoughts.  
“This is going to sound crazy but I still remember everything that she told me. If she is real I could find her.”  
“You want to try and find this girl who knows nothing about you and just casually tell her that you know everything about her?”  
“Yep.” Benedict shook his head incredulously while Chris came dashing in.  
“It’s a brilliant idea Tom. Quick let’s go. I can go back to Australia because I’m coming with you.” Chris then dashed out saying that he was going to go pack and book 6 tickets that way Benedict could take Sophie and the kids as well. Tom looked to Benedict who was smiling and shaking his head.  
“I should probably go and tell Sophie and the kids we are visiting Australia then.”  
“Thanks Ben. I’m sorry again about the incident at the hospital.”  
“Don’t worry about it. You were out for 6 months.”  
“Can I ask, do you know how I ended up in the coma? I can’t remember.” A look of guilt went over Benedict’s face.  
“We went out for the day heading up to Edenborough. We got there safely and you had a couple of drinks. I was driving back so I didn’t have anything. On the way back though a drunk driver went past us and as he tried to come back into the left lane he flipped his car and there was nothing I could do in time.”  
“What happened?”  
“The driver died instantly but we both ended up in hospital. I was only in for a month with injuries but you had gone into a severe coma after being resurrected from death. They didn’t think you were going to wake up. You had broken bones, a punctured lung, metal and glass all through you. I’m amazed you woke up. But I am grateful.” Tom smiled at his friend and they proceeded to say their goodbyes before Tom went and packed his bags for Australia and Benedict went home to pack for himself and let his family know.  
Tom grabbed his phone and decided to try and text Winter. He still remembered her mobile number.  
Hi, is this Winter Lane? He put his phone away after texting her and received a text straight after. “Typical.” He pulled it out to see a text from Chris saying that the plane leaves in three hours. Tom grabbed his wallet, his luggage and keys before locking his apartment and heading down to the street hailing a cab and heading to the airport.  
BING!  
Tom grabbed his phone and checked the text.  
Who is this?  
My name is Tom.  
What? Like Hiddleston? LOL  
Yeah.  
Anyway, what do you want?  
I’m just trying to find out if the number I was given is correct.  
Well whoever the fuck gave it to you gave you a phone number for the wrong bloody country mate. You have a UK number and you’re texting an Australian.  
Tom smiled. That is definitely something Winter would say. “We’re here sir.”  
“Thanks.” Tom paid the cabbie and got all his stuff before heading into the airport with hope.


End file.
